


Don't ask me that - OT8

by InoruMarufuji



Series: Nightmare [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bine you have a VIP pass so feel free to enter, Bine's Birthday Celebration: SKZ Nightmare Series, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Disjointed narrative, Gen, Hallucinations, I don't think there's any hope for me, Keep walking, No Spoilers, Puzzle fic, THIS HELL IS MEMBERS ONLY, They aren't specified because spoilers, Unreliable Narrator, lots and lots of it, triggering elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21781648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InoruMarufuji/pseuds/InoruMarufuji
Summary: [M̶a̶z̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶M̶e̶m̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶ |S̳i̳d̳e̳ ̳E̳f̳f̳e̳c̳t̳s̳][1/9] Wait, this is strange, it's getting blurry. - Side Effects
Relationships: Lee Minho | Lee Know/Everyone
Series: Nightmare [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569787
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Don't ask me that - OT8

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WhyAreAllUsernamesTaken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhyAreAllUsernamesTaken/gifts).



> Welcome to your birthday celebrations, Bine!
> 
> The way this is gonna go is that there's a puzzle piece in form of a story for you to enjoy for the next nine days and afterwards, once you've figured it out, you tell me 
> 
> a) how each member died  
> b) why I chose to divide the group into the Maze of Memories side and the Side Effects side  
> c) what the correct order of the oneshots is.
> 
> Shouldn't be hard for a pro like you, right?
> 
> Good luck~
> 
> [Edit] This fic has been edited for obvious reasons. It won't get in the way of figuring out the order, I promise.

[ ~~Maze of Memories~~ | **Side Effects** ]

_Did he dream in color?_

_No, he really didn't._

_He never had and never would._

_He remembered his dreams clearly, but not the colors._

_A sea of whites and greys and blacks in front of an equally dull background was all he knew and it was fine, it really was, because he didn't know it any other way._

_No, he didn't dream in color._

_And yet, he still did this time._

_At least partially._

7.45 pm.

Late yet again.

Minho sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration as he stared the clock at the wall down as if that would somehow bring Chan back faster.

It was the fourth time in a row he hadn't returned from his studio in time to join his members for some sort of planned activity and if this went on for much longer, Minho would have to bring this up to him.

Sure, Chan was a workaholic by nature, they all knew that by now, but recently, he seemed to have become restless to the point where nothing except his lyrics could keep him composed.

More often than not, Minho would walk in on him furiously scribbling notes down in his notebook, eyes never leaving the pages, never once acknowledging his surroundings as he was lost in his own world.

What he was writing exactly, nobody had a clue, not even Jisung or Changbin, but it had to be something extremely personal and truthfully, that was the reason Minho was willing to delay everything they had planned in favor of letting Chan finish up in peace.

Even if that meant supervising four hungry maknaes and their equally hungry hyung who were all lazily spread out in the living room at the moment.

''Hyung, I'm starving!'', Felix whined from his place on the couch, his continuously growling stomach only serving to make Minho feel guilty. ''You said we'd eat dinner at seven, what are we waiting for?''

''We're waiting for your boyfriend to get his ass out of his studio, what do you think?'', Seungmin replied dryly and Felix immediately sat up, face red as he quickly sputtered a response.

''He's not my boyfriend!''

Seungmin shot him a sceptical look, but didn't argue and instead focused his attention on his phone again, probably to continue checking out the menu of the restaurant they wanted to eat in.

Minho had already decided what he wanted, his attention caught relatively quickly by the bulgogi that was offered with the tastiest looking garlic and onions he had ever seen, but Jisung was still absorbed in skimming over the dishes excitedly, licking his lips from time to time.

''The Kimchi Soup looks so good...''

''I don't know, I was thinking more of dumplings, haven't had those in a while'', Seungmin offhandedly remarked and as if on cue, Felix's stomach growled again, the boy groaning and hiding his face in the pillows.

'' _Please_ stop talking about food, I'm dying over here!''

Hyunjin snorted, glued to his phone as well on the other side of the room, only for a different reason, his fingers relentlessly typing up a whole ass essay as it appeared.

''And people call _me_ dramatic.''

''You _are_ dramatic.''

Minho checked the time again while the members were teasing each other, noting how fast it seemed to go by.

It was already 8.00 pm and Chan still hadn't come back, hadn't so much as shot him a text along the lines of 'Sorry, I'm on my way' and at this point, he knew he couldn't wait any longer for him to do so because they had a reservation at seven and the restaurant only kept those for a hour and a half before giving the table to someone else.

And they undoubtedly would, it was always busy in the evening after all, even more so in this specific restaurant that offered dishes from all around the world, coupled with some of the best and finest wines in all of Korea.

They'd been trying to get a reservation for almost a _year_ , even going so far as to try and pull some strings, yet nothing had worked and they had been stuck on a waiting list until now.

Minho was not someone who generally liked to wait for things this long, especially if he didn't know if it was worth the time in the end, but literally everyone who'd had the luck of reserving a dinner boasted about it online so much that he'd gotten curious.

And before he had known it, he'd made a reservation.

It was a one-time thing, he had sworn that to himself the second he had seen the prices on the menu, but it was an experience he'd wanted to enjoy together with all members.

He was disappointed that they wouldn't be able to make it work, but sometimes, fate just liked to upset his plans.

His dream suddenly made an unexpected jump out of nowhere and Minho found himself standing in front of the restaurant with his members behind him, chattering to each other as the waiter checked their reservation.

There was a weird pounding in his head and his palms were a little too sweaty, but he tried not to think too much of it.

He was just getting agitated for no reason.

''Reservation for eight, 7.00 pm, Lee Minho'', the waiter confirmed after a few seconds of scanning over the list, although Minho did catch him looking at his watch in annoyance, silently judging them for only showing up literally in the last minute.

Chan still wasn't here, but at least he had responded to Minho's third call and told him that they could go without him and that he would join them a little later. He hadn't specified what was keeping him occupied for so long, but Minho had figured it was something personal, so he hadn't pressed further.

''Follow me, gentlemen, I'll guide you to your table.''

The members trailed behind the waiter inside the restaurant and Minho fell back so he could keep an eye on the kids and make sure they wouldn't wander around and get themselves lost.

The restaurant was massive, he had known that from the reviews online, but as he stepped into it, immediately drawn to the high ceiling with the pretty chandeliers and the fairy lights that adorned the windows in preparation for Christmas, he couldn't help but to gasp in awe.

The pictures people had uploaded online did not do the real thing any justice.

The interior was incredibly spacious, almost the size of a football field, with antique tables neatly arranged to either side of a red carpet that stretched through the entire restaurant.

The lights were dimmed to a level that made everything seem cozy and the quiet music that was playing from some speakers, as well as the pictures of landscapes on the walls only added to the comfortable atmosphere.

However, the one thing that irritated him were the people sitting at nearly all tables that watched him out of the corner of their eyes, their amused and arrogant laughs barely audible over the music as they seemed to make fun of him.

For what, Minho didn't know, yet the gaze he was examined with was definitely one of disapproval and he felt immensely uncomfortable as he hurried after the members.

Maybe the customers were all regulars and didn't appreciate some new faces in their round?

Even so, why hadn't there been any reviews online warning people about the unfriendly treatment?

And why was he even so anxious about it?

He wasn't about to let this ruin his evening, right?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, his body jolted and suddenly, all color drained from his suroundings and its people, leaving only a grey scenery that looked as if it belonged in a coloring book for children.

Had this been the first time his dreams had pulled this crap on him, he was sure he would have freaked out, but it wasn't, so he just kept walking to the table they had been assigned to as if nothing had happened, his five dongsaengs already sitting down around it.

Five?

Slightly confused, he counted the members once more, but came up with the same number which only served to confuse him more as he tried to figure out who was missing.

Chan was at the studio, Changbin was there, Hyunjin too, Jisung, Felix, Seungmin...

Where was--...

''Oh! Innie sent me a text from the camp!''

Ah. Right.

The vocal training camp.

After their last vocal training, Jeongin had been told that he was lacking quite a bit in comparison to the rest of his members and therefore, he had volunteered to take part in a vocal training camp to improve his singing.

Minho hadn't seen a reason for him to do so, he knew Jeongin only had a particularly rough patch on the day of the examination, but of course, their sweet maknae had taken the harsh words to heart and, not wanting to disappoint, had eagerly agreed to the help he had been offered.

''What did he write? Is he having fun?''

Hyunjin didn't verbally formulate an answer and instead just held up his phone for the others to see, the bright screen showing a message as well as a picture that hadn't finished loading yet.

_About to have dinner with Chan hyung!!_

The image finished loading and Minho could see that it was a selfie of Jeongin with Seventeen's maknae Lee Chan who had been sent to the camp as well by his company and whom Jeongin had befriended pretty much upon arriving.

By the looks of it, they were still in the practice room, some light snacks spread out on the floor in front of them while they posed for the camera with cheerful smiles.

They seemed to get along really well and Minho was glad that the camp had turned out to be a lot less stressful than Jeongin had originally feared.

He seemed to be settling in and from the occasional audios they'd been sent, it was clear that he was making a lot of improvement.

Or, well, _even more_ improvement.

''Hyung, hyung, hyung-''

Felix waved the menu in front of his face and Minho had to blink a few times to stop daydreaming and finally sit down at the table as well.

There were more fairy lights all over the expensive looking tablecloth, as well as a dandelion peeking out of its vase in the middle and he stared at it for a little, suddenly feeling drawn in by the flower despite it being as grey as the rest of his surroundings.

''Hyung, let's order mystery dinner!''

The waiter chuckled in amusement at Felix's excited tone and made a note on his block.

''Mystery dinner. Good choice. Three random dishes, three random sauces.''

That didn't sound so bad...

''Three drops of hydrochloric acid.''

Three drops of _what._

Minho's head shot up upon hearing that and he looked at the waiter in shock.

Did he really just hear that?

The members showed no reaction to the disturbing words, simply continuing to chatter about what they wanted to order, but he had to make sure he had really just heard this wrong.

''Excuse me, what did you say?'', he asked, trying his best to keep a smile despite the shiver that ran up his spine. ''Three drops of what?''

''Three drops of wine.''

Wine?

How the hell had he gotten 'hydrochloric acid' from 'wine'?

It was so ridiculous that it almost made him laugh.

Was he deaf or something?

He shook his head about himself. Maybe he was overworking himself lately because Chan wasn't really home anymore to help him take care of the kids.

Yeah. That was it. For sure.

He had to bring this up to him soon.

''Mystery dinner is too much for you alone though.'' Changbin set his menu down. ''We can share.''

Felix nodded in agreement and shot the older boy a sincere smile, the fairy lights reflecting in his eyes as he opened his mouth to thank Changbin.

''Fuck you, hyung.''

''Felix! Language!'', Minho scolded, but to his surprise, all he got back was a puzzled look from the younger as he tried to figure out what he had done wrong.

Had he... had he heard that wrong _again?_

''Uh... Thank you _very much_ , Changbin hyung?''

Obviously he had.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He brought his hands up to massage his temples, mentally willing himself to get his shit together as he closed his eyes, but he could instantly tell it hadn't worked because when he opened them again, he noticed something.

Well, several things actually.

Colors were back, the bright lights almost blinding him after the dull scenery he had experienced. Number one.

Chan was there, looking through the menu with a rather disinterested gaze as he was chewing his lip, torn about what to order. Number two.

The restaurant was empty, a gaping void where the other guests used to sit. Number three.

He knew his dreams didn't always make sense, but for some reason he was unsettled nonetheless and his unease must have shown because Changbin suddenly put a comforting hand on his shoulder, startling him.

''Hyung, are you feeling unwell?''

Minho considered lying, considered acting as if nothing was wrong, but then again, this was a dream, so why should he go through the trouble?

''Yes'', he admitted, pushing his chair back as the need for some fresh air overwhelmed him. Something was wrong with him. ''I'll just be outside for a bit.''

He subconsciously looked at Chan, almost expecting him to put the menu aside and offer to come with him as he would have normally done, but when nothing happened, he decided to push a little.

He really needed to reconcile with Chan right now or else he would go insane.

''Chan hyung, mind joining me?''

The older didn't react at all, just turned a page as if he hadn't heard anything, and Minho was about to repeat himself when he met Seungmin's strangely concerned gaze.

''Hyung.''

His tone was firm. Worried. Disbelieving.

''Chan is at the studio.''

What?

What was he talking about? Chan was _right here!_

''No'', he heard himself argue and Seungmin exchanged a quick, helpless glance with Changbin before the older got up and grabbed Minho's arm with such vigor that all further words escaped him.

''Hyung, let's distance ourselves for a while.''

Before he could even protest, Changbin had already dragged him off towards the exit, past all the empty tables, past the blinking fairy lights and past Jeongin who was on his way towards their table.

Wait.

It was more a reflex than a conscious decision that made Minho halt in his steps and Changbin's grip on him losened as a result as he stumbled forward.

''Jeongin?''

Jeongin flinched, seemingly only now realizing his surroundings as he turned to face Minho, eyes wide and disoriented.

''Oh. Hyung.''

His speech was the slightest bit slurred, barely enough to be noticeable, yet Minho was still able to pick up on it instantly and he felt worry rising inside of his chest.

''Are you alright? What happened? I thought you were at the camp?''

Jeongin blinked in confusion, a shaking hand coming up to brush a few lose strands out of his face as he stared at him.

It took a moment for him to answer, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but no words capable of escaping him, until he finally managed to choke something out in a voice that seemed far too worn out.

''I... I thought so too.''

He sent an unstable smile Minho's way and it was really all he was able to do before his body gave up on him and he fell forward, right into Minho's arms who barely managed to catch him in time.

''Jeongin! Jeongin!!''

He wasn't sure whose voice that was, it might be his own, it might be Changbin's, it might be someone else's entirely, but he didn't have time to ponder it anyway as his dream suddenly made a jump and he was back at the table.

Without colors.

No, with colors.

The other customers were there again, their idle chatting a steady background noise, while the waiter was in the process of delivering the last dishes they had ordered.

Various dishes were already spread out in front of them, including Felix's mystery dinner that consisted of a Korean dish - pork bulgogi - an Italian dish - spaghetti with meatballs - , and a Japanese dish, yakitori.

As per Changbin's offer, they were both sharing it, although Felix seemed to have called dibs on the meatballs, more and more disappearing into his mouth at such a rapid pace that nobody could quite follow.

''That's fucking delicious.''

''Felix, language'', Minho reprimanded him automatically while he reached for the salad that had come with their order.

It was weird, he really didn't remember any of them ordering salad in the first place, but it was still here and he suddenly got an immense craving for it.

Why was he craving salad so much?

''Sorry, hyung, I just-'' He interrupted himself to pick up another meatball with his fork and Minho merely scoffed from his place on the opposite side of the table, pouring Jisung and himself some wine.

''Are these things really that good?'', he asked sceptically, earning himself a series of frantic nods from the younger boy who graciously held out his fork to let him have a taste.

Minho only hesitated briefly before leaning forward and curiously biting off the meatball, chewing experimentally for a few seconds as he got used to the flavor.

Although he tried his best to keep a neutral expression to not give Felix the satisfaction of being absolutely right, he couldn't contain the happy sigh that left him as the taste registered in his brain, exotic, foreign, _delicious._

Noticing the expression of content on his face, Felix shot him a triumphant look.

''And? How is it?''

''Holy shit, it's so good'', Minho gave back, his gaze focused on the meatballs, his body craving more, almost to the point that he worried about his sudden addiction. ''Give me a few more, come on, Felix!''

The younger grinned, a colorful smile that suddenly turned grey out of nowhere. Or maybe it had been grey the entire time.

Grey. Felix was grey.

Felix wasn't in color.

''No, those are mine, sorry hyung~!''

Grey.

Felix wasn't in color.

None of them were.

No, wait, that wasn't true. Or was it?

There was a sudden pain in his throat, flaming up like a fire before it travelled to his chest, restricting his ability to breathe. He knew he was gasping for air, desperation probably painted all over his face, but no oxygen seemed to be able to get into his body.

The glass of wine he'd been holding escaped his grasp and shattered on the floor, but no one noticed. He was drooling on the table, unable to swallow his saliva, but no one noticed.

He was dying and no one noticed.

The pain reached his stomach, an unbearable burning that made him double up in agony, his arms pressed against his stomach as if that would actually do anything.

He was dying and the fact that no one saw him curled up like this really said it all.

It was a dream, only a dream, only a nightmare, but somehow that revelation didn't grant him any relief right now.

''I hope the food is to your liking'', the waiter's voice reached his ears, sweet and malicious at the same time as his hand came to rest on Minho's shoulder. ''It's today's special.''

''Yeah, I love it!'', Felix praised, mouth full of meatballs that glistened in the artificial light from above. ''But do you have some more meatballs? They're really good.''

''Of course.''

The waiter brushed Minho off his chair as if he was nothing more than a lint on a pullover and he hit the ground hard, the room tilting sideways and black spots invading his vision as his consciousness was drifting.

''We have lots of those.''

Felix never saw the grin that spread across the waiter's face as he turned around, but it would forever remain ingrained in Minho's memory.

_Did he dream in color?_

…

_Don't ask him that._

[1/9] Destiny, fate and time, I'm kneeling before them.


End file.
